Businessman Warns the Government of Georgia

If the financial and economic management of the country is continued this way, then in Georgia will soon happen the same as in Greece – Coca-Cola Bottlers Georgia founder Temur Chkonia says.

According to him, the increase in electricity tariffs is very painful and unpleasant process, but this is normal for a market economy, and it is wrong when the state subsidizes the fare. “Economic changes of the world standards should be carried out in Georgia. Hiked prices for electricity is a very painful process, but these painful processes cannot be always artificially softened. We have to go through them and only this can be considered a victory. And now we do not fight for the victory but sit in one place, “- he notes.

In his words, the raised tariff should relate to all categories of consumers.

“The government has a great desire to alleviate the plight of the population, but subsidies is the wrong decision. It is rather a way to mute the discontent, to transfer problem for the future and one day it will explode as it was in Greece and many other countries. The worst thing is that we are against the increase in tariffs, but don’t want to build Khudoni HPP. This is wrong thinking. We have a chance to get cheap energy, but we are against it, and then complain – why is energy so expensive? And how it can be cheap, if we do not build hydroelectric power stations?” – Temur Chkonia explains.

He also opposes the government’s social programs, and considers the economic course of the country wrong. He believes that subsidizing and social programs are incorrectly drafted, despite they seem to be popular. “Any social program will always be popular, especially if everything is free. And then, once all this will be exhausted and we will not have anything. Such governance of the country which is now sooner or later will lead us to the Greek version,” Coca-Cola Bottlers Georgia founder concludes.